David D. Busch - David Buschs Sony [alpha] A7 III: Guide to Digital Photography

GUIDE TO DIGITAL PHOTOGRAPHY

David D. Busch

David Buschs Sony a7 III Guide to Digital Photography

David D. Busch

Project Manager: Jenny Davidson

Series Technical Editor: Michael D. Sullivan

Layout: Bill Hartman

Cover Design: Mike Tanamachi

Indexer: Valerie Haynes Perry

Proofreader: Mike Beady

ISBN: 978-1-68198-412-4

1st Edition (1st printing, August 2018)

2018 David D. Busch

All images David D. Busch unless otherwise noted

Rocky Nook, Inc.

1010 B Street, Suite 350

San Rafael, CA 94901

USA

www.rockynook.com

Distributed in the U.S. by Ingram Publisher Services

Distributed in the UK and Europe by Publishers Group UK

Library of Congress Control Number: 2018937563

All rights reserved. No part of the material protected by this copyright notice may be reproduced or utilized in any form, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without written permission of the publisher.

Many of the designations in this book used by manufacturers and sellers to distinguish their products are claimed as trademarks of their respective companies. Where those designations appear in this book, and Rocky Nook was aware of a trademark claim, the designations have been printed in caps or initial caps. All product names and services identified throughout this book are used in editorial fashion only and for the benefit of such companies with no intention of infringement of the trademark. They are not intended to convey endorsement or other affiliation with this book.

While reasonable care has been exercised in the preparation of this book, the publisher and author assume no responsibility for errors or omissions, or for damages resulting from the use of the information contained herein or from the use of the discs or programs that may accompany it.

This book is printed on acid-free paper.

Printed in Korea

For Cathy

Thanks to everyone at Rocky Nook, including Scott Cowlin, managing director and publisher, for the freedom to let me explore the amazing capabilities of the Sony a7 III in depth. I couldnt do it without my veteran production team, including project manager, Jenny Davidson and series technical editor, Mike Sullivan. Also, thanks to Bill Hartman, layout; Valerie Hayes Perry, indexing; Mike Beady, proofreading; Mike Tanamachi, cover design; and my agent, Carole Jelen, who has the amazing ability to keep both publishers and authors happy.

With more than 2.5 million books in print, David D. Busch is the worlds #1 bestselling camera guide author, and the originator of popular series like David Buschs Pro Secrets, David Buschs Compact Field Guides, and David Buschs Quick Snap Guides. He has written more than 50 hugely successful guidebooks for Sony and other digital SLR models, including the all-time #1 bestsellers for several different cameras, as well as many popular books devoted to photography, including Mastering Mirrorless Photography. As a roving photojournalist for more than 20 years, he illustrated his books, magazine articles, and newspaper reports with award-winning images. Hes operated his own commercial studio, suffocated in formal dress while shooting weddings, and shot sports for a daily newspaper and an upstate New York college. His photos and articles have appeared in Popular Photography, Rangefinder, Professional Photographer, and hundreds of other publications. Hes also reviewed dozens of digital cameras for CNet and other CBS publications.

When About.com named its top five books on Beginning Digital Photography, debuting at the #1 and #2 slots were Buschs Digital Photography All-In-One Desk Reference for Dummies and Mastering Digital Photography. He has had as many as 18 books listed in the Top 100 of Amazon.coms Digital Photography Bestseller listsimultaneously! Buschs 250-plus other books published since 1983 include bestsellers like Digital SLR Cameras and Photography for Dummies.

Busch is a member of the Cleveland Photographic Society (www.clevelandphoto.org), which has operated continuously since 1887. Visit his website at http://www.sonyguides.com.

Chapter 1
Sony Alpha a7 III Quick Start

Chapter 2
Your Camera Roadmap

Chapter 3
Camera Settings I Menu

Chapter 4
Camera Settings II Menu

Chapter 5
Network and Playback Menus

Chapter 6
Setup Menu and My Menus

Chapter 7
Nailing the Optimum Exposure

Chapter 8
Mastering Autofocus Options

Chapter 9
Advanced Techniques

Chapter 10
Movie-Making Basics

Chapter 11
Advanced Video Features

Chapter 12
Choosing and Using Lenses

Chapter 13
Working with Flash

Chapter 14
Getting the Most from Your a7 III

The Sony a7 III is the companys most affordable 24MP full-frame mirrorless camera. It boasts an advanced 693-point autofocus system, 5-axis in-body anti-shake image stabilization, blazing fast 10-frames-per-second continuous shooting, and 4K video capture. Thats a versatile combination of advanced features that will satisfy and energize even veteran photography enthusiasts. Its image quality will impress the most discerning landscape, commercial, or portrait photographer, and its action capabilities are a sports photographers dream.

Its no wonder youre excited about your new Sony a7 III. With all these features at your disposal, you dont expect to take good pictures with such a camerayou demand and anticipate outstanding photos. Im here to help lead you down the path to pixel proficiency, providing the guidance not found in the limited instructions offered by Sony itself. Over the years, the company has reduced the amount of useful information included in its printed guidebooks, often to a scant 100 pages or so, and relegated more detailed instructions to online HTML-based guides and PDF versions that are difficult to navigate. And, sad to say, not everything you need to know is included.

What you really need is a guide that explains the purpose and function of the cameras basic controls, how you should use them, and why. Thats what I am giving you in this book. If you want a quick introduction to focus controls, flash synchronization options, how to choose lenses, or which exposure modes are best, this book is for you. If you cant decide on what basic settings to use with your camera because you cant figure out how changing ISO or white balance or focus defaults will affect your pictures, you need this guide.

They say less is more, and when it comes to mirrorless, the adage is spot on. By shedding the mirror found in traditional digital SLR cameras, Sony has been able to stuff the most alluring capabilities of advanced dSLRs into a fully featured body thats lightweight and compact enough that youll want to take it with you everywhere. In the case of the third-generation full-frame Sony a7 III, less is more has a double meaning. Sony has aggressively priced this camera at less then $2,000 for the body alone, even though it boasts many of the features of its upscale siblings, the a7R III and a9. Reviewers and enthusiast photographers alike have lauded the a7 III as the best bang-for-the-buck digital camera offering on the market.